This series uses the FantasyLabs Tools to analyze MLB stacks in the day’s slate. The series does not provide play or fade recommendations. It provides analysis.
Colorado Rockies
With the Lineup Builder, it’s easy to incorporate stacks into DFS rosters. The top FanDuel stack in the CSURAM88 Model belongs to the Rockies at Coors Field. Colorado owns a massive implied run total of 6.9 (per our Vegas Dashboard):
Coors Field is the most hitter-friendly park in MLB, as batters have historically averaged a +2.00 Plus/Minus there (per our Trends tool). Mets rookie Chris Flexen struggled in his debut last week, walking four batters, surrendering three earned runs, and allowing a home run over just three innings.
Unsurprisingly, Charlie Blackmon and Nolan Arenado are the top players in the Model, with the latter carrying an impressive recent batted ball distance of 265 feet, exit velocity of 95 miles per hour, and fly ball and hard hit rates of 45 and 48 percent. One player who could differentiate Rockies stacks is Trevor Story, projected to hit seventh (per our Lineups page) with a recent exit velocity of 99 mph — but a Coors Field stack will still likely garner high ownership. Pro subscribers can review ownership trends after lineup lock via our DFS Ownership Dashboard.
Kansas City Royals
A top non-Coors five-man DraftKings stack in the Bales Model belongs to the Royals, who are implied for ‘only’ 5.1 runs:
The Royals face Orioles righty Jeremy Hellickson, who has some of the slate’s worst Statcast data with a recent batted ball distance of 240 feet, exit velocity of 94 miles per hour, and hard hit rate of 46 percent.
Whit Merrifield, Lorenzo Cain, and Melky Cabrera all have one percent Bargain Ratings on DraftKings, so they could go under-owned due to their elevated price. Merrifield in particular stands out as one of the highest-rated batters in the slate. Hitters with comparable lineup spots, implied totals, and Statcast data have historically provided a +2.72 Plus/Minus on DraftKings.
Texas Rangers
If you’re looking for a cheap FanDuel stack that costs less than $3,200 per batter, consider the Rangers, who are tied for the second-highest Team Value Rating at 87:
The Rangers are currently projected to score 5.6 runs against struggling Mariners lefty Ariel Miranda, who’s recent batted ball distance allowed of 252 feet and 1.86 HR/9 are the highest and fourth-highest marks on the slate.
Delino DeShields is a top value play today. Projected to lead off, he has been hitting well lately with a recent distance differential of 42 feet and a fly ball rate of 50 percent. Mike Napoli also has solid Statcast data with a recent batted ball distance of 232 feet and hard hit rate of 51 percent. Despite their potential, the Rangers could be a surprisingly contrarian option in this power-filled slate.
Good luck, and be sure to read today’s MLB Breakdown!
News Updates
After this piece is published, FantasyLabs is likely to provide news updates on a number of players herein mentioned. Be sure to stay ahead of your competition with our industry-leading DFS-focused news blurbs:
